Lovely weather for a picnic - but not at the weekend

People enjoy a picnic on Wednesday in warmer weather in Regent's Park, London (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

Parts of Britain basked in warm spring weather today but forecasters warned that temperatures are set to drop in the coming days.

The mercury reached 21.1C (70F) at 3pm in Cavendish, Suffolk, as the South East and East Anglia enjoyed conditions pushing up towards the best so far this year.

Elsewhere it was cooler, with overcast conditions in central and northern England and some rain in places.

Gareth Harvey, a senior forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "There's been quite a lot of cloud but it's not been like that everywhere - there have been local pockets of brightness.

"In areas that have been warm today, it is expected to be similar tomorrow, and we should see readings of 20C or 21C again, with sunshine across the south-east quarter of the UK.

"It is likely to be cloudy again elsewhere, and as we move towards the weekend we can expect to see it turning chillier, with temperatures in East Anglia down to 10 or 12C by Friday - quite a large drop.

"Much further north there could even be some wintry showers, as conditions remain unsettled over the weekend."

Temperatures are expected to start recovering on Monday and Tuesday, with the mercury gradually rising through the week.

PA